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All 28.0 - Ratik'nun
The next morning, now that Ryuji had arrived, Pierce, accompanied by the Yetoman and Clover, summoned Julia once more. She passed over a large, uncut crystal, stating that they must use it for good purposes. However, no one she had spoken to had any idea how to cast such a ritual as they had described, making Xander their only likely option as an ally. She also explained, lacking anything resembling tact, that there were no ways for Ryuji to escape undeath: particularly powerful, driven mortals could become angels by dying in Heaven, with the correct patronage and supervision, but Ryuji was already dead, so he would just be destroyed. He couldn’t even survive in Heaven as far as she knew, even with a moon pearl, because there was no way there for him to satisfy his undead addiction to living blood. He couldn’t be ascended by Heaven because he was already ascended by Materia, and if he committed suicide, or died in any fashion, really, he was more likely to be reborn in Materia than be reborn in Heaven, since his soul was so powerfully aligned to Law now. Ryuji, obviously upset, thanked her for her efforts; Julia, not picking up on his disappointment, wished them luck and returned to Heaven. Pierce took Ryuji back when he went to Engiadina again that day. The summoner returned to Duvallon as soon as he was able. Three days later, Pierce called Cohen to join him in a building across the block from the hotel they were all staying in. When the doctor arrived, he saw that a complicated summoning spell had been prepared. Pierce was going to summon Ratik’nun to try and get another moon pearl. Cohen stated his disagreement with the plan, but did not stop Pierce from moving ahead. When the spell completed, a human-like devil with Yetoman features, red skin and large ram horns appeared, seated in a fine chair. He introduced himself as Ratik’nun, and addressed Pierce with familiarity: he knew his ancestors, he said, and claimed to have worked with them in the past, facilitating their precipitous rise to fortune. He was excited to work with his family again. Cohen made some disparaging remarks while Pierce and Ratik’nun spoke, discussing details. It was obvious that the devil was canny at making deals, while Pierce was better at public speaking than lawyering. Cohen was dismissed, and told to fetch Victor. By the time the two men were heard returning, Pierce was rushed into an agreement: Ratik’nun would supply Pierce with a moon pearl, would remove his lycanthropic curse, and would reapply Victor’s binding spell, turning him back into a half-elf from his teifling form. In exchange, Pierce would construct a Lightning Transit circle in Yeto for the Kamun family’s use, and supply them with a crystal to use it. Pierce shook the devil’s hand, and he vanished as the other two entered. Seeing that the devil was gone, the two newcomers asked what had transpired. Before Pierce could finish explaining anything, Victor was teleported across the room, where he collapsed. Ratik’nun hadn’t left, but rather had kept himself invisible while he cast the spell that had originally bound Victor, now a half-elf once again. Victor looked about in confusion and panic. It didn’t take long for Cohen to start yelling at Pierce: the binding spell had been cast in full, sealing Victor’s ascendant powers as well as all of his memories, just as it had the first time. Ratik’nun revealed himself and summoned Xerxes, who passed over a moon pearl and a few snide comments. Xerxes left, and Ratik’nun mentioned that he would have to stay around Materia for a while, ‘researching the curse he was supposed to remove’. With that, he vanished again, this time leaving nothing but the summoning circle, still glowing ominously and signalling that an archdevil still walked the earth. Cohen yelled at Pierce some more before turning his attentions to Victor, trying to piece him back together and not shock him. When he looked over again, Pierce was missing. Cohen took Victor elsewhere and tried to give him some context for what was happening. He then returned with Victor to the hotel, where he found each of the others in private and explained to them what had happened, particularly to Lucca. Harlequin was furious at the development and declared that this wouldn't stand, that he needed all of his game pieces in working order. He terminated his bond with Lucca, returning to his clown-like form, and said that he would go find a solution to this before vanishing. The rest of the day, and the next, were spent waiting for Xander and piecing Victor back together. Two days later, Ryuji and Virgil returned to Duvallon, teleported by Bastion, the woman elected to keep the rift sealed and the ritual active. Pierce was still missing. Xander met with them when he returned. He handed over the re-enchanted moon pearl, and took the fresh one they had received from Julia. At Clover's reminder, he cast Stone to Flesh on Tarragon, returning him to life, much to Clover’s tearful relief. As they reunited, Xander took Bastion to teach her how to make the ritual and keep it going. Category:Advent of the All